


Red Thread of Fate

by SecretlyAFrogman



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, One Shot, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 12:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretlyAFrogman/pseuds/SecretlyAFrogman
Summary: The Red Thread of Fate is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red cord around the ankles of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. Often, in Japanese and Korean culture, it is thought to be tied around the little finger. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances.





	Red Thread of Fate

The string was breaking. It had been for a long time. What used to be layers upon layers of red thread, strong and beautiful were slowly becoming broken and tangled to the point that now only one small string remained. And it was being stretched thin.

_Why am I the only one that seems to notice it? Why can’t you? Have you become so blinded by the power of the Death Note that you are not able to see what’s right in front of you? What’s truly important?_

L sighed, glancing down at the red string tied around his pinky. It was wet and damp along with the rest him, the rain beating down both his spirit and his will. He was cold and he was shaking and yet this feeling was the most alive he had felt in almost a year. 

A year… yes, it had been almost a year. Since the Kira Investigation started, since the red thread on his pinky became more and more clear to him. And on the other end was the person he had been pursuing. It felt as if fate were playing a trick on him, cursing him for the sins that he had committed. How could it be that the person he was meant to be with, the other at the end of the red thread was also the person who was going to be responsible for his death? It felt like a joke. And yet here he stood with the thread almost broken and he knew, knew that the end was almost near. 

Looking up into the sky, the sudden rumble of thunder masked the sound of someone yelling his name from the distance. But then it was yelled again and he turned his head, seeing the person at the other end of his thread. Lifting up his hand, L stared down at the red string, completely ignoring the other until he was standing next to him. 

“Ryuzaki?” 

L shook his head, not wanting to listen. He just wanted this to be over, just wanted the string to snap and break and to finally be done with this. 

“Ryuzaki. What are you doing? You’re going to get sick.” 

_Don’t act like you care now. You never have._

“Ryuzaki…”

The sudden hand on his shoulder made L tense and he finally looked up and dark eyes met brown ones and he felt sick. _You’re supposed to bring me life. And yet you’re going to tear me down where I stand. Just do it, do it. End me now so that this string no longer taunts me._

“Why were you staring at your pinky for so long.” 

L blinked, suddenly feeling the weight of the string as if it were too heavy to carry such a burden. “It’s nothing,” he spoke softly and turned away. Then he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder as he wanted to scream, to run away from the other knowing that it was all a trick, all a facade to seem innocent and loved and damn, L hated it. 

“Come on, Ryuzaki. Let’s go inside. The others are waiting for us.” 

He couldn’t say no. Wouldn’t say no to Light. And as the other led him inside, L could feel the string pulling more and more and it was so close to snapping, so close to breaking and then it would be done, done and L wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. 

There was no point in denying it. Today would be his death day. The constant bells in his ears and the breaking string was enough to tell him that. Still, he felt a need to atone, to ask for forgiveness to the one that was meant to be his soulmate. _I want to understand you. I want to be on your side. If this is my last chance to show you that, then I will take it without any regrets._

L dried himself off with the towel Light provided, the stairs that Light was sitting on seeming somewhat fitting for their situation. L made his way to the end of the stairs, crouching down as he took Light’s foot in his hand. 

“What are you doing, Ryuzaki?” 

L smiled sadly. “A massage, Light-kun. A way to atone for my sins.” 

“Your sins? What are you talking about?”

“No questions. Please. I need to do this.”

A sigh. “… Fine.”

L quickly wiped the rain off of Light’s feet before placing both hands on his foot and pressing down hard. A grunt from the other and L shook it off as he began to ease the tension of Light’s muscles. _Please forgive me, Light. Forgive me for not asking for your forgiveness sooner. For not being by your side. I’ve known for months that you and I are meant for one another, and I let my stubbornness get the better of me. There’s no hope now. None._

But then a simple gesture suddenly made a spark of hope flicker inside of him. For when all hope seemed lost, L felt the other gently wipe his hair and forehead, ceasing the water that was blinding him momentarily. L looked up at Light, saw a look of acceptance on his features and felt something about this moment. This was his last chance at life, his last chance to save the breaking string. 

“Light-kun…”

“Please don’t make me do this, L. Don’t make me break our thread.” 

L dropped Light’s foot, standing immediately and staring down at the other. His breath was shaky, his hands trembling as he glanced down at the string on his finger. “You… You knew?” 

Light shook his head and stood next to him, raising his pinky where the red string was tied onto it. “I never noticed it until now. Watching you try to atone… I felt an understanding between us, a belief that we didn’t have to continue as enemies. Then and only then was I able to notice it on your pinky and followed it onto my own.” 

L reached forward, letting their hands touch as fingers intertwined among one another. “It’s breaking, Light-kun.”

“It doesn’t have to.”

“How can we fix it?” 

“By joining my side instead of opposing it.” 

“You know how hard that is to do.”

“But not impossible. I don’t want to lose you, L.”

“You don’t tell the truth.” 

“Are you willing to live long enough to find out if I am?” 

L bit his bottom lip. “I don’t want it to end like this.” 

“Then postpone it. The Death Note. 24 hours. Give me 24 hours to stitch our thread back together, to show you that I tell the truth to those I love.” 

And then L’s phone was ringing and L knew this was the end as the string finally broke between them. He reached into his pocket, seeing the familiar W on the caller ID. L looked up at Light, then to the broken string that lay on the ground then back at his phone as he swallowed hard and answered. “24 hours, Watari. Give me 24 hours.” 

A new red thread, stronger and tighter than before extended from L’s pinky, connecting to Light’s and tying tightly around it.

**Author's Note:**

> Written on the anniversary of L's death. 
> 
> Needed something to improve my somber mood. This is definitely how it should have gone down! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: secretlyafrogman.tumblr.com


End file.
